Labour has been plunged into fresh chaos after Andy Burnham announced he is seeking a return to the Commons, and Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary in another dramatic day in Westminster.
Makerfield MP John Simons, a former Starmer ally who was recently forced to resign as a minister, sensationally stepped down to allow Mr Burnham to stand in his seat, paving the way for him to challenge Sir Keir’s leadership.
The move came just hours after Mr Streeting dramatically quit the cabinet, saying he had “lost confidence” in the prime minister and calling for a contest for the Labour leadership without formally triggering one.
Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner was cleared to run after her tax affairs were resolved with HMRC, but she suggested she may back Mr Burnham.
Mr Simons, who was caught up in the Labour Together scandal over allegations of smearing journalists and Labour MPs, said: “I am putting the people I represent and the country I love first and will be resigning as MP for Makerfield. I am standing aside so that Andy Burnham can return to his home, fight to re-enter Parliament, and if elected, drive the change our country is crying out for.”
Mr Burnham confirmed his intention to stand in the by-election, and tweeted: “I can confirm that I will be requesting the permission of the NEC to stand in the Makerfield by-election.”
“We will change Labour for the better and make it a party you can believe in again,” he added in an apparent swipe at Sir Keir and the chaos engulfing the party.
Independent MP Karl Turner, who is currently suspended from Labour after criticising Sir Keir, described the decision by Mr Simons as “heroic” and warned that there would be “a massive rebellion” if Sir Keir and the National Executive Committee (NEC) again tried to block Mr Burnham from standing as they did in the recent Gorton and Denton by-election.
No10 has indicated to Labour MPs that it will not seek to block Mr Burnham. An ally of Starmer told the BBC: “Keir is focused on bringing the party together so it can tackle the issues facing working families.”
But even if Mr Burnham is allowed to run, the contest will not be straightforward, with Labour defending a majority of 5,399. According to Electoral Calculus, Reform has an 82 per cent chance of winning the seat, with Labour just 17 per cent.
Labour supporters will hope that Mr Burnham’s star quality and charisma can overcome Reform UK, but Nigel Farage said: “We look forward to the contest and we will throw absolutely everything at it.”
Mr Simons is a surprise candidate to step down because he was a younger, ambitious MP first elected in 2024.
But Starmer loyalist, welfare secretary Pat McFadden warned: “There is a danger when we create a by-election that isn’t necessary. In the past, that has been a risky thing to do.”
He insisted that Sir Keir will fight on to lead the party, pointing out that the leadership process “hasn’t as yet been triggered”.
Mr McFadden added: “[Sir Keir] feels a deep sense of duty to the country as prime minister. It’s been a dramatic week, but I think he can continue. He wants to continue.”
The move comes after more than 90 Labour MPs demanded Sir Keir quit and five ministers, including Mr Streeting, resigned from the government amid the fallout from Labour’s disastrous local election results last week.
In a stinging letter, Mr Streeting gave a scathing assessment of the prime minister’s leadership.
Referring to Sir Keir’s failed make-or-break speech on Monday, he said: “Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday.
“Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords. You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics.”
There was some speculation that Mr Streeting did not have the backing of the 81 MPs required to trigger a leadership election, but allies of Mr Streeting admitted that he had held back from starting a contest himself because he believed the party would not accept one without Mr Burnham being involved.
Mr Streeting admitted in his letter: “[The contest] needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch weighed in on the chaos, saying: “I told Wes Streeting to do his job, but instead he has done a hit job on the prime minister. The Labour Party is now in civil war. Meanwhile, no one is running the country.”
Leeds East MP Richard Burgon, the chair of the Socialist Campaign Group on the left of the party and key ally of Mr Burnham, said: “There’s a growing consensus that Labour must not be bounced into a snap leadership election through some kind of palace coup, and that Andy Burnham should not be blocked from standing.”
Meanwhile, Ms Rayner’s supporters suggested she would not run against Mr Burnham and would only join the contest if Mr Streeting himself declared he would run.
Other potential contenders, including energy secretary and former leader Ed Miliband, as well as defence minister Al Carns, seemed unwilling to take the initiative either until a contest was formally declared.
However, there were reports that a delegation of cabinet ministers is set to go to Downing Street to plead with Sir Keir to set a timetable for his departure in a bid to end the crisis.
Before his resignation, Downing Street had insisted the prime minister had “full confidence” in Mr Streeting as health secretary.
In his response to Mr Streeting, the prime minister said: “I am truly sorry you will no longer be sat at the cabinet table helping transform our national health service.”
